​Martin Odegaard made it four goals in five with another clinical match-winner in the 1-0 victory against Napoli, but the Arsenal captain was then the target of a few words from Mikel Arteta that were a touch more pointed that the widespread praise in recent weeks.Arteta had inevitably been asked about his playmaker continuing this form, of being decisive in the destination of the major trophies as well as matches like this.“First of all, he has to be available,” Arteta noted.As elementary as that might sound given that Odegaard failed to appear in 43 per cent of Arsenal’s games last season – missing 27 from 63 – those who know both say it was a specific message.Martin Odegaard continued his excellent start to the season by scoring Arsenal’s winner in Naples (Reuters)It was of a piece with Arteta’s conspicuous line after the opening-day 3-0 win over Coventry City, where he said his captain “has a point to prove”.That was taken as a part reference to something that had been said a lot to Odegaard last season, as he toiled for full fitness.He was told to imagine what it would be like to lift one of the major trophies, to be front and centre of the pictures, and how he would want to have justified that by being influential; to offer those picture moments.There were even times when Arteta felt the need to reassure him of his importance; to tell him “you’re my man”.If a lot of this sounds extreme when players can do little about being injured, it is in part about psychology and confidence, to give them something to strive for.There were moments when Odegaard is said to have needed that.If an old-fashioned response to this is that you would want a more battle-hardened approach from your captain, the playmaker has always performed on a plane above that.One of the reasons that Arteta has given him the armband is because of how Odegaard understands the manager’s tactical system better than any other attacker, and also because of how good he is at imparting that.It’s one of the reasons that, without him, Arsenal are just so much less flowing and interconnected in attack.Odegaard is said to have struggled when he was absent for so much of Arsenal’s title-winning season (Reuters)Odegaard knits everything together. Everything else then revolves around him. He’s the player that leads the pressing, that pulls the first pressing trigger. When he goes, the rest of the attack follows. They know which space to occupy, so as to lock opposition in as they so often did to Napoli. This is obviously multiplied in effect when he also has Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz around him.The stat about them Sunday’s win over Chelsea being only the fourth game they have played together since December 2024 barely needs to be repeated.That’s another element that only emphasises this. Arsenal haven’t just missed the true Odegaard for one season but two. He has barely the same since the ankle injury he endured on international duty back in September 2024, r